Science Only Deals in Absolutes

Fandom - Fullmetal Alchemist/Transformer's.

Note - This takes place post Transformer's 1 and Post Conqueror of Shamballa.

Summary - Edward gets pulled through the gate again, this time he lands in another universe with Evils not as scary as Voldemort.

Note - Sequel to 'Alchemical Lane'.

Close but no Automail - aka - Chapter 1

There was a strange noise that filled his ears. For a moment he didn't know what had happened to him, where he was or what he had been doing before now. His memory was complete and utter mush. He didn't bother about that now. That noise, again, what was it? Opening one portal. He found himself surrounded by gray. Groaning - Oh, had that been him making that noise? - He opened the other eye.

Peering at the grey ceiling for a moment, he waited till he felt as if he wouldn't suffer from any dizzy spells and turned his head. Next to him was another bed, with that boy from his dream - No, he corrected himself - it hadn't been a dream. This boy looked to have been through a war. Scratched up, but not bloody and the smell of soap lingered in the air.

He wasn't home. He knew it. The Gate had played him a new move and here he was, with that same goal that kept him alive. He couldn't die without seeing Alphonse first. Tuning his head once more, Edward looked out of a huge doorway. Both of its doors were hundreds of feet tall, at least to him. They were on an upper floor, apparently, open to the winds. He felt better for it and experimentally he climbed out of bed. Walking to the railing he peered downwards.

Machines with human-like limbs milled about below. Talking ins beeps and squeaks he didn't understand. That was when Edward realized that his Automail arm had been detached. How had he slept through that pain? He wondered. Then he gritted his teeth. These being's obviously didn't know much about Automail, nor how it worked and how painful it was. The port was swathed in bandages and he was glad that they hadn't taken his leg.

Looking around suspiciously, Edward noticed several humans grouped about a table. Edward had practically grown up in the Army, he had passed his birthday a few days before his State Alchemist Test. Thirteen years old and all ready the weight on the world was upon his shoulders.

Growling, he stalked over and pushed his way past the men. Not caring that they yelped when he stepped on toes with his Automail leg; "It's rather rude to detach something that's a pain to reattach!" Edward's clipped tones and the rather dangerous look made some of the soldiers, for Edward knew a soldier when he saw one - glare back at him. He took up his Automail arm and inspected it. Nothing looked to be missing. Good. He popped it back in and pulled the lever to reattach the nerve endings. He clamped down on the scream of pain that would have escaped him. He lent against the table for a few seconds; then straightened.

"It's called Automail, as you see, I had a slight malfunction," he grinned.

"What's your name, Shorty?" one of the men asked.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MOUSY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK!!!!????" Edward yelled. The man backed up a little at Edward's rant.

"Whoa, whoa, sorry. I am Captain William Lennox, commanding officer here, well, besides Optimus Prime," Will pointed over to the tallest of the human-like robotic form. Edward gazed over.

"Huh, that's very interesting…" he muttered.

"What is your name?" Optimus asked. Edward was suddenly reminded of Al, and their years traveling their home country in search of the Philosopher's Stone.

"My name is Edward Elric," he grinned.

"Where did you come from?" this voice was that of another human-robot. Grey all over and Edward guessed Optimus' second in command.

"That depends, how crazy will you think I am if I tell you?" Edward grinned sheepishly, his bio arm went up and behind his head. The Automail hand rested on his hip.

"This is Jazz, my Second," Optimus' blue 'eyes' gave Edward a gaze that Edward knew well. It was as if Al was looking at him, suddenly, wondering if he was doing the right thing, "You brought Sam back to us," Optimus supplied.

He sighed, it wasn't Al; "Okay, I've been thrown from on universe into the next, I used to live in Amestris, I was an Alchemist, then I got thrown into this other place where a huge Second War was being fought and then I got sent to this other place where Magic was real and Equivalent Exchange didn't matter, huh…I wonder…." Edward looked around. Did his Alchemy work here? Was there anything he could fix?

"What is Alchemy?" William asked.

"Alchemy; The science of understanding the structure of matter, breaking it down, then reconstructing it as something else. It can even make gold from lead. But Alchemy is a science so it must follow natural laws: To create something of equal value must be lost. This is the Principle of Equivalent Exchange. But on that night, I learn that some things cannot be measured on a simple scale. My brother and I knew the laws of science, of Equivalent Exchange, that something had to be taken from us, but, we thought that there was nothing more we could lose, we were wrong…*" Edward explained, looking down at his arm.

"I don't know where I am," he looked up at the robots, at Lennox, "But, I am going to rejoin my brother, no matter what it takes," his metal hand made a fist.

"Now, I have questions, what are you?" he pointed to Optimus.

"We're Cybertronion's from the planet Cybertron. Our home planet was destroyed and we spent several thousands of years searching for a new place to call home and defeat our enemies who would do anything to destroy us," Jazz explained.

"Ah," Edward grinned, "War is bloody, I hope you know what you can lose,"

"We know," Optimus nodded. Edward gave him a thumbs up.

"Now, where am I?" Edward asked.

"America, the year is 2009," Lennox said.

"Wow, the last time….it was World War Two…ah….have anyone heard of Hohenheim Elric?"

Heads shook around him, Edward sighed; "Good, that bastard…"

"Who's a bastard?" the question made them all jump and turn to the next teenager. The boy looked tired, but better from his sleep.

"No one important," Edward replied.

"I'm Sam, by the way,"

"Edward,"

"Sam! Are you all right?" Bumblebee asked from the railing. Sam grinned at his best friend.

"Yeah,"

"Where'd you go?" Bumblebee asked.

"I don't know, this place that was all made of white light and there was this gate with….things…" Sam turned to Edward.

"I think you were there and you saved me," Sam said.

"Saved you? Funny, I don't dream," Edward scratched the back of his neck.

"Maybe you were hallucinating or something," he shrugged finally. Sam sighed, then nodded his head.

"Yeah, probably," he agreed, though reluctantly. The sudden cry of "Samuel James Witwicky!" interrupted them. Two people came running up the stairs, one a woman in a suite of bright pink and the next a man in a polo shirt and jeans. Edward watched as they passed him by to hug Sam. Edward smirked, Parents.

"Sam. We were so worried about you!" the woman cried.

"I'm fine, I promise," Sam said softly as he hugged his mother.

"I hope you know how dangerous that was!" the boy's father said, not angrily, but the tone reminded Edward a lot of his own father. The man who had left him and Al to watch their mother die. Even though he had spent time with the man the first time the gate had thrown him into an alternate universe - Hohenheim had helped him. But, Edward felt that it was out of a feeling of guilt. He knew that one day he would have to forgive Hohenheim for the hurt he put him and Al through - but, it wouldn't be today.

"Who is this?" the woman asked, "I'm Judy Witwicky and this is my husband Ron," she flapped a hand at the semi-wide man.

"Edward Elric," he grinned at her. She looked so much like his own mother, how could he not like her right off the bat.

"Sam, its not nice to drag one of your school friends into this mess," Ron glared at his son.

"Oh no, he didn't drag me into anything, I kinda got put into the middle of it," Edward chuckled as if the whole thing was a joke.

"Oh, dear are you a cripple?" Judy asked.

"My brother and I made a mistake, this was the price we had to pay. A friend of ours is good at artificial limbs, she's the best!" Edward gave a sigh of longing. He wanted to see Winry and Al again.

"I'm going home, as soon as I can," he finished as an afterthought.

"Well, we're here to take Sam home, he has school in a week….why don't you come along," Judy said. Edward blinked up at her.

"Are you serious? We don't know where he came from…" Lennox started.

"Amestris! And you don't know HOW I got here. It was Alchemy, but I didn't have enough to sacrifice to get home," Edward growled. Lennox held up his hands.

"Don't get mad there, Shorty,"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A RUNT SO TINY HE COULD ONLY BE SEEN WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS, YOU JERK!?" Edward seethed. Judy laughed.

"Wow, you'd be a great alarm! Come on, Sam, Ed, we're going home," and with that the woman herded the two boys down the stairs and to the waiting car.

"Go with them, Bumblebee," Optimus said. The yellow bot gave a salute and swiftly transformed into his alternate mode to follow the Witwicky family and their new son.

* * *

Edward sat in the back with Sam. Ron and Judy kept up a string of conversation that kept Edward from brooding. They told him of the school, of Sam and his bedwetting troubles as a child - of which Sam objected to firmly - and where they'd put Ed.

"Our house has enough room, so don't worry about it," Ron said.

"And don't worry, you won't have to share with Sam, he's an only child, so I'm a bit more worried about him than you, since you mentioned your brother," Judy grinned.

"Alphonse, he's my younger brother, we studied Alchemy together," Edward supplied. He glance out the window to see the quiet street they drove down. Finally they stopped in front of a house with a nice yard, fine white and green paint and a wrap around porch. Sam jumped out of the car and rushed in.

"Don't worry about Sam, like I said, he's an only child," Judy rolled her eyes.

"I've been away from Al for so long….I never want to be separated form him once I have found him again," Edward replied, he gave her a reassuring smile.

"It'll be fine, I promise, Sam will get over it,"

Judy nodded and then she put her arm around Edward's shoulder and led him inside, intent on cleaning out a room for him and showing him around.

Edward went with her willingly, his mother hadn't been so spastic, but he liked Judy anyway.

* * *

The crowd roared as the combatants entered the field. He could see the man that pissed him off so, Roy Mustang. The bastard! Edward knew he just had to win this fight. He said he would and how hard could it be? He didn't need arrays to do Alchemy! Sure, he kept chalk, just in case - but that didn't mean that he needed it.

"Brother," Al said from behind, "What are you going to do?"

"I told you Al! I'm gonna put a FIST IN HIS FACE!"

"Isn't this going a bit too far?" the younger brother, though taller than the older, asked.

"No way, this asshole needs to be taken down a couple of notches," Edward grinned dangerously.

"But….Edward….isn't he a bit taller than you? Won't he have a better advantage…?"

"ARE YOU CALLING ME SHORT YOU TIN CAN!?"

"Ed! That wasn't very nice!"

"Don't call your older brother SHORT!"

"Fine! I didn't mean it that way, you're so mean!"

"Sorry, Al," Edward subsided.

"Get him, Big Brother," Al replied, by way of accepting the apology Edward would only give to him.

He woke slowly. The ceiling above him was white this time. The soft breeze of mid spring ruffled his damp blond hair and he had to sit up. Stumbling out of bed, Edward found the window and leaned out.

"Al….I'll find you….again….I promise…." he whispered into the night.

* * *

* A direct quote from the second episode of FMA when Edward is talking to Rose. Or, at least I think so. He either starts with this one or he starts with naming the components of a human body. The short rants, except for the one which is part dream part memory, came from the anime because I have the hardest time with short rants. Ed's "are you calling me short you tin can!" is mine.

A/N - Well, I think I got characterization wrong. So I hate this chapter. Tell me what you think. Yeah, okay so the other one isn't finished, but I don't care. I wanted to put this up and see where we go from here. We'll have fun. I promise.